


If Only I Could Love You

by its_alexxx



Category: Original Work
Genre: Aromantic, Asexual Character, Asexuality Spectrum, Awkward Romance, Blindfolds, Bombs, Character Death, Child Murder, Coffee Shops, Confusion, Destruction, Explicit Language, F/M, Fire, Forced Marriage, Guns, Hurt No Comfort, Insanity, Kidnapping, Love/Hate, Murder, No Happy Ending Fest, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Relationship, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Sex, Shooting, Slow Burn, Stabbing, Twins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:21:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29456649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/its_alexxx/pseuds/its_alexxx
Summary: Rae’s mother runs a coffee shop on the corner of the town, and Leo and his little brother, Toby, always visit before school. One day, a bomb destroys the city as all of them huddle in the cellar for safety. With no other place to go, they are forced to move to the neighboring city that bombed their city. Rae’s twin sisters, Avi and Leah, cause major destruction as their revenge, and Leo’s father longs for Leo to marry Rae. Through this new life in  the city Sovai, he quickly realizes that the burden of marriage is too much for his mind to handle, and he takes matters into his own hands.
Kudos: 1





	1. Bittersweet Mornings

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my first story here! Hope you enjoy :)

Rae flipped the sign on the door of the small coffee shop that her mother bought a while back. The sun rose through the tall buildings and winding streets of Sinaiya, which sat calmly on a bright Tuesday morning. A gentle breeze swept leaves across the city and fluttered signs and wind chimes, letting the calmness sink in. 

A bell rang and echoed through the shop. Two boys, one who had dark brown hair and fair hazel eyes, and another with tan and sun kissed skin with dark eyes and dirty blonde hair walked through the shop’s door. They placed their bags and worn down skateboards to the side and shuffled their feet on the rug below them.

“Good morning, Mrs. Walker,” the older boy said, pushing his younger brother aside to step into the shop. 

“Good morning, Leo,” she responded, stirring blonde coffee in a tall, heated pitcher. “Are you boys ready for spring break yet?”

Toby chuckled. “I’ve been ready for spring break since the beginning of the semester,” he said, rummaging through his bag to pull out a Nintendo Switch.

“Toby, you don’t even have exams yet. You’re only 11,” Leo complained, shaking his head. He walked over to the chair that Toby had situated himself in and ruffled his dark ebony hair.

“Could you not?” Toby asked, annoyed at his brother’s antics. “I’m trying to finish this level.”

“Whatever, dork.”

*

Rae polished the last of the silverware, making sure everything was absolutely spotless for today’s customers. She heard footsteps approach the back room and perked up to see who it was, though she didn’t have to. Leo’s footsteps were loud, yet subtle, and could be easily distinguished.

“Morning, Leo!” She exclaimed. She placed the rag on the drying rack and walked over to hug him. Leo sighed and hugged her back. 

“I heard you have exams today,” Rae said, “good luck on them!” Leo smiled, strolling to get a cup for some freshly brewed coffee.

“I don’t know how well I’ll do, especially since I suck at every subject,” he murmured. He poured the coffee at quite a height, managing to spill barely anything.

“I’m sure you’ll be okay. It’s not like you’re stupid,” Rae giggled. Leo rolled his eyes playfully, sitting down next at the table next to Rae’s twin sisters, Avi and Leah. They were huddled around Toby, eyeing closely as the Nintendo was punched vigorously by Toby, who was still trying to beat the same level. 

Rae sat down next to Leo. “Don’t you love how peaceful it is here?”

Leo sipped his coffee. “Yeah, except for Mr. Jay’s shitty class.” Rae laughed.

“Is public school really that bad?” She asked. Leo put down his coffee and put a finger to his chin.

“Ah!” He exclaimed. “One time I found a half full condom in the girl’s bathroom.” Rae’s jaw dropped to the floor.

“First of all, that’s disgusting. Second of all,” she leaned closer to him, meeting his gaze, “why the hell were you in the girl’s bathroom?” She demanded.

Leo pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh,” he whispered. “We don’t question the ways of a perver- I mean man.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, more like a little, immature boy.”

Leo downed his coffee and slammed the empty cup on the table, rapidly pushing himself out of his seat and grabbing Toby by his collar. “We better get going. The bell’s gonna ring in, like, 5 minutes!”

Avi and Leah reached out to Toby, but couldn’t reach his arms in time. “Bye, Toby,” they sighed. 

“Bye, you two,” Mrs. Walker said as she stocked coffee beans and pastry ingredients. The boys collected their things and ran out the door. They waved through the window and rolled on their skateboards down the street.

Rae rested her head on her fist and grinned. What trouble they were, she thought, but they were her friends nonetheless. Who else would keep her crazy twin sisters occupied? Who else would tell her all the insane stories about public schools that she would never attend?

She made herself a cup of coffee and sat down next to the window. The day had become warmer and quieter than usual. Rae relaxed in the chair and sighed, stirring her coffee with a small wooden stick. 

The coffee rippled. 

The ground shook, and the tables were juggled across the floor. Rae’s eyes widened, thinking an earthquake had struck, but after she looked out of the window once more, she found that it was far worse. 

A flash of yellow and orange, followed by black, thick smoke drenched the sky and suffocated the once clear and bright day.

Rae rushed her sisters to the storm cellar across the shop, where her mother was already unlocking the latch. They scurried down the stairs, waiting for Rae to join them when they heard banging at the door.

Rae turned to see Leo and Toby, coughing for their lives in the smoke. She rushed to the door, trying not to fall over the broken glass and fallen chairs.

With every last bit of strength, she tugged the door open and allowed the boys inside. They rushed to the cellar and held open the latch for Rae. She climbed in after struggling to find her way through the collecting smoke and shut the door.

‘This is it,’ she thought. ‘That couldn’t have been a bomb, right? It’s always so peaceful here. What is happening?’

A loud boom shook the entire city and broke the last of the still standing windows of the shop. The group held each other close, bracing for death as bombs continued to drop among the city.

The cabinet in the cellar fell over and smashed the skateboards that were thrown onto the ground as Toby and Leo rushed in. All screamed. There was no light, little air, and no ventilation, but they didn’t care about that. They couldn’t care about that, not at a time like this.

The city went quiet. For minutes, everything stood still, as if the world stopped spinning. Everyone remained huddled, still bracing for another bomb, but no more ever came. 

After several grueling, silent minutes, sirens could be heard across Sinaiya. Rae’s mother unlocked the latch and climbed out. 

Rae and Leo climbed out and stood in paralyzed shock.

Everything was completely destroyed.


	2. The City of Peace

Rubble and ash clouded the once clear, blue morning. Every building within the view of the naked eye was demolished, or was on the verge of crumbing down and killing anyone near. Sirens blared in the distance.

Rae held her sisters close to her as they climbed out of the storm cellar. They tripped through the remains of the coffee shop, their shoes and clothes catching on sharp pieces of wood and glass. Watching her feet, Rae sprinted to the back room where she had been washing dishes only an hour before.

She heaved for air as smoke invaded her lungs. She clawed at the pile of rubble, trying desperately to see if there was something, anything, that could be saved.

Leo pushed through the destruction, hacking for oxygen as he squatted down next to Rae. “What the hell are you looking for? Are you crazy? Something could fall on you at any minute!” He grabbed her arm, trying to pull her away from the pile of soot and ash she was digging through. She pulled back.

With tears in her eyes, she stared up at him. “There, there has to be— there has to be something left,” she stammered. “I can probably save a picture, a spoon, a label, just— just SOMETHING!” She yelled. Wrath filled her heart as she rummaged further, only to find broken glass and pieces of the wooden floorboard.

She threw her fists to the ground. There was absolutely nothing left here. The grave reality set in, as did the fogging dust in the air. Rae’s heart beat out of her chest. She wailed on the heap of what was once the petit and calm coffee shop on the corner of the town. 

Leo tugged at her arm once more. “Come on, Rae,” he commanded, tears welling in his eyes, “we have to go now.”

“Leo,” she said. He turned to catch sight of her gripping his shirt and pulling herself up. “Where the hell are we supposed to go? This was all we had left...”

Leo glared into her eyes. The usual sparkle that beamed in the light was now a dull ache that crushed any ounce of happiness that would flutter by. “We don’t know, Rae. Trust me, we’ll figure something out, even if it’s living in a hut for a year.”

Rae stood, dusting off her shirt and taking a hold of Leo’s shirt sleeve for support. “We should go make sure everyone else is okay,” she suggested. Leo nodded, staring blankly to the ground.

The twins surrounded Toby. He had tears flowing down his face and his sobs were loud and ugly. Leo ran up to him, taking him by the shoulder and rubbing his back.

“Listen, Toby,” he began. Toby looked up at him. “I know everything is overwhelming right now, but as soon as we know dad is okay, we can figure out what to do.” Toby continued to cry, and the world seemed to stand silent once more. 

Sirens blared louder than before, but they were drowned out by the shock and agony. Not a building in the city was spared, nor were many people. Who the hell would do something like this? Sinaiya never did anything to anyone. “The City Of Peace,” it was once called. Not anymore. There was nothing left but chaos that circled every survivor’s head and every building still standing.

“We’re all going to accompany you when we go check on your father,” Rae’s mother said calmly. Even at a time like this, her voice was still as smooth as butter. She began walking into the broken street towards the street Toby and Leo lived on.

The rest of the group followed. Slowly, they walked through the depressing and ever thickening atmosphere. The street was nothing but broken asphalt, shattered glass, and pieces of buildings.

Watching their steps, they approached the residence, which was one of the few buildings that only had half of it missing. 

Rae’s mother knocked on the door. “Sam? Are you alive?” They waited in a sickening silence, praying for a response. Leo’s father opened the door, only for it to fall forward. He chuckled.

“Angie, good to see that you’re still with us. You two, kids.” He glanced over Angie’s shoulder, catching sight of his own sons.

Scurrying around the girls, he leaned down and hugged his sons as tightly as he ever had. “I- I thought I lost you boys! I thought you were still at that goddamn school!” He sounded angry, but Leo and Toby knew he wasn’t. Hell, anyone would react this way if they found their children alive after a bombing.

Leo and Toby hugged their dad back. “It’s all thanks to Miss Walker,” Toby said. Sam turned to Angie and hugged her just as tightly, if not more, than before. 

“Thank you so much, Angie. I don’t know what I would have done without you,” he thanked her profusely, drawing out the hug as long as he could. 

“Where are we supposed to go, mom?” Avi asked, tugging at her long, now ripped skirt. Angie stared at Sam.

“We’re all in this together, Sam.” She looked out to the city, which was somewhat visible since the darkest smoke had mostly cleared or settled in the lungs of those who lived. “It doesn’t look as if we have much choice but to move.”

Eyes locked upon eyes as each person silently agreed. “Is the next town over our only option?” Sam asked. “It’s only about 3 miles away, not very far. I’ll call a cab. Do you have anything to salvage?”

Angie, Avi, Leah, and Rae all looked in the direction of the coffee shop only to find that there was still nothing. It an empty space. “No, no, we lost everything,” Angie stuttered.

Sam nodded and pulled out his phone. This new beginning would start empty handed, but oddly enough, Rae felt a new flame burst within her. Maybe she’d make friends outside of her family. Maybe she’d attend school to see if Leo’s tales of condoms in the girl’s bathroom were actually true. 

She looked towards her old home once more, and the flame diminished. She had everything she could ever want here, and it was gone. They had no money, no clothes, no house. ‘We’re fucked,’ she thought. 

Sam shut off his phone. “We have to walk a couple of miles to get to where he can actually drive us. Apparently, the next town over was destroyed, too, so we’re headed to Sovai. That alright with you, Angie?”

She nodded. “How far is that, exactly?”

Sam reopened his phone. “It’s about 15 miles away. We only have to walk about 3 to get where the roads are usable again.”

“Then I guess we’re gonna have to start,” Leo said, sighing. They headed west to Sovai, and the creeping feeling of doom followed them through the border of the town.

Rae and Leo waited, turning to see everything they had lost. Friends, buildings, precious belongings, and countless other things.

They turned a blind eye and continued to walk with the group, saying goodbye to the so-called “city of peace.”


End file.
